Herbert austin



H. AUSTIN Sept. 13', 1,932.

MOTOR CAR BODY FITTED WITH COLLAPSIBLE OR FOLDING TOP Filed Nov. 18.1929 Patented Sept. 13, 1932 UNITED STATES HERBERT AUSTVIN, ornnoivrsenovn, ENGLAND MOTOR CAR BODY FITTED WITH OOLLA'PSIBLE OR FOLDINGTOP Application filed November 18, 1929', Serial No. 407,981, and. inGreat Britain December 11, 1928. p

This invention relates to motor car bodies of the type in which theupper portion of the rear of the body is adapted to be hinged back inrelation to the lower portion, such for instance as when it is desiredto collapse the top; and the object of the invention is to provide meansto lock the hinged'part securely in itsturned backposition.

According to this invention means are pro- 1 vided whereby, when thefolding portion has been turned back, it is locked'in such position ateach side by a detent entering anotch in a plate or other part which isrigid with the folding part, such detent also preferably entering anotch in an adjacent fixed plate so that on the engagement of the detentsuch plate or other part of the folding back becomes locked in relationto the fixed plate whereby the folding back is held rigidly in its openposition.

The invention is particularly adapted to a folding back portion used inconjunction with what is known as a sunshinefihood; that is to say afolding top in which the ends of hoop sticks supporting a flexible roofare adapted to slide'along horizontal cant rails at the sides of the topof the body and down vertical rails at the rear corners thereof. In thiscase the detents may be carried at the ends of the rearmosthoop stickeach detent serving to lock the folding portion at the correspondingside.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood a convenientapplication thereof to a motor car body fitted with a sunshine hood isdescribed with reference to the drawing herewith, of which Figure 1 is afragmentary small-scale sectional view of the rear portion of a motorvehicle showing the part of the back which is arranged to fold down.

Figure 2 is a View corresponding to Figure 1 showing the back in itsfolded down position and some of the hoop sticks resting thereon.

Figure 3 is a detached View to half scale showing the hinged parts inthe position they assume when the back is in its raised or normalposition.

Figure 4: is a v1ew corresponding to Flgure 3,. but showing the partsin. the position they assume when the back is turned down and locked;and,

Figure 5is a view of the parts shown in Figure-.3 as seen looking in thedirection of 5b the arrow of that figure.

In the drawing :-A is the fixedpart of the back of the body and B theupper or hinged part having screwedto it, at either side, a curved arm Cpivoted-to a bracket D secured against the inner face of an upright ofthe fixed back. Rigid with the arm(} is a vertical plate E provided witha notch F. I Gr is an upwardly extending portion of the bracket Dprovided with a notch H. J J denote hoop sticks (see Figure 4) each ofwhich at each'end; carries a fitting K having pin M adapted to engagewithin channels N secured against the inner face of fixed rails Pextending upwards from each side'of the fixed portion of the back. -Tothe fittin K, at each side of the rearmost hoop stick is secured adetent Q. The hoop sticks J J, when the roof is set up, have other hoopsticks J J interposed between'them but the latter have no 7 pinM and aretherefore free of the channels. These hoop sticks are shown only in Figure 2. 1

To the plate E there is pivoted a down wardly extending rod R passingthrough a bottom flange S of the bracket D and the rod is provided witha pair of nuts T locked onits lower end. The bolt R thus serves tolimitthe downward movement of the moving part B. v

When the part B is in its downmost position the notch F on the plate Ecomes 0 posite to the notch H of the fixed plate G; an when the hoopsticks J are traversed down, each detent'Q enters both the respectivenotches F and H, thus locking the plate E in relation to the plate G. Itwill be noticed that the detent Q is somewhat wedge shaped and that thenotches are shaped to correspond'so that any tendency of the part B torock causes the detent to wedge tightly in the notches. The wedge shapealso facilitates the removal of the detent. As soon as the top istraversed forward and the rearmost hoop stick J raised,

the detent, ateach side, leaves the notches so lo that the back of thevehicle is free to fold up on the closing of the top. This is usuallyeffected by the pull of the fabric of the roof.

Having fully described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1s 1. A motor vehicle body, a lower part of the backthereof, an upper part of the back which when closed is in the sameplane as the lower part and is hinged in relation to the said lower partand adaptedto befturned back at right angles to open it, a hinge memberin respect of said upper part a notch in said hinge member, and a detentadapted to be brought into engagement with said "notch to lock saidupper part in its open position.

2. A motor vehicle body, a lower part of the back thereof, an upper partof the back which when closed is in the same plane as'said lower partand is hinged in relation to the said lower part and adapted to beturned back at right angles to open it, a hinge memher in respect ofsaid upper portion, a wedge shaped notch in said hinge member and awedge shaped detent adapted to be -brought into engagement with saidnotch to lock said upper part in its open position,

3. A motor vehicle body, a lower part of the back thereof, an upper partof the back thereof hinged in relation to said lower part and adapted tobe turned back to open it, a hinge member in respect of said upper parta notch in said hinge member, a fixed plate adjacent said hinge member,a notch in said fixed plate and a detent adapted to be brought intoengagement with both said notches to lock said upper part in relation tosaid fixed plate when said upper part is in its open position.

4. A motor vehicle body, a lower part of the back thereof, an upper partof said back hinged in relation to said lower part and adapted to beturned back to open it, a hinge member in respect of said upper part, anotch v in said hinge member, rearwardly slidable transverse roofmembers, a detent operated by the rearmost roof member andadapted to bebrought into engagement with said notch and said detent being withdrawnby the agency of said roof member when it is moved towards its closedposition.

5. A motor vehicle body, a lower part of the back thereof, an upper partof said back hinged in relation to said lower part and adapted to beturned back to open it, ahinge member in respect of said upper part,a'notch in said hinge member, rearwardly anddownw'ardly slidabletransverse roof members, a detent operated by the rearmostroof memberand adapted to be brought into engagement with said notch when said roofmember is moved to its open position and withdrawn therefrom as saidroof member is movedtowards its closed position.

6. A motor vehicle body, a lowerpart of the back thereof, an upper partof said back hinged in relation to said lower part, and adapted to beturned back to open it, a hinge member in respect of said upper portion,a notch in said hinge member, rearwardly and downwardly slidabletransverse roof members, a detent carried by the rearmost roof memberand adapted to be brought into engagement with said notch when said roofmember is moved to its open position and withdrawn therefrom as saidroof member is moved towards its closed position.

7. A motor vehicle body, a lower part of the back thereof, an upper partof the back hinged in relation 'to'the said lower part and adapted to beturned back to open it, a hinge member in respect of said upper part, anotch in said hinge member, a detent adapted to be brought intoengagement with said notch to lock said upper part in its open position,a

downwardly depending rod pivoted to said hinge member, a fixed platethrough which said rod passesand stops on said rod to limit the movementof said hinge part in either direction. I

In. witness whereofl have hereunto signed my name this fourth day ofNovember 1929.

HERBERT AUSTIN.

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